Archive for the ‘let’s go out’ Category

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.

Voltaire

Hear, mankind: in our part
– voice of the Intuition–
it says to sing love forever
through solicitous formula music
in praise of GOD:
HU!

(the last words of the final scene of WEDNESDAY from light)
Saturday (25) saw myself and number 1 head off to Birmingham to see Stockhausen – MITTWOCH aus LICHT(Wednesday from light) 6 and a bit hours of sometimes quite surreal fun is the only way I can describe it

Set in the Argyle Works, (a disused factory the space was needed), it was the first time the piece had been performed in it entirety, (and properly the last due to the cost and complexity of the piece). We arrived about half an hour before the performance started to find to our delight two of the most beautiful camels, (yes we did have a stroke), which only reinforced the feeling that this was going to be something really special.

Part one – Greetings

Sitting on randomly placed camping stools the lights are turned out leaving you in near total darkness and then the first strains of music can be heard, soon as your eyes adapted to the dark shadowy figures can be made out. Then it’s a game of turning around on your little stool to look out for the shadowy figures has they appear and disappear just as quickly, a little light is then given as each part is performed, pregnant women, playing children, a walking tree, a young girl blowing bubbles and much more.

From here we walked through a doorway which was lit with a bright yellow light, (the colour of Wednesday) into a room and took out seats on mats on the floor surrounded by bright yellow umpire seats for

Part two – Parliament

Here the president summons the parliamentarians to a session in which love is up for debate. About half way though a security guard comes in and stops the performance and asks for the owner of a car with registration number M for Mittwoch 12 to remove it has it was blocking an entrance, the president leaves and a new one is elected debating continues and an agreement is made.
Interval
(A little bit of world parliament filmed by me up loaded by number 1, sorry about the filming, I was too busy watching, in fact all the video here are from us).

Part three – Orchestra Finalists

This is the part I enjoyed the most, lying on the floor the orchestra are suspended on chairs above you, which travel up and down, (and I will admit there were a few times I thought I hope they don’t drop anything because it won’t half hurt). Where we had decided to lie a Perspex stage was rolled over us at one point. As you listen to the music actors wander around the room and sometimes get uncomfortably close as they perform. ‘A swimming pool with elephants’ which was a paddling pool with a trombonist splashed about in. Steam trains and low flying birds and many other things added to the fun.

Leaving this room we move back to the first room and the camping stools for

Part four – helicopter String Quartet

Which is just that, we meet the quartet and then watch them leave the building climb on board the helicopters, take of, fly over Birmingham playing, all by live stream TV, (there have been a few bad reports about this part, but for me I thought it was fantastic), once they had landed they came back into the building for a Q&A, this was the bit that spoiled it for me. For me it had given it a college/lecture feel, totally disrupted the mood.

Interval

Part five – Michaelion

Seated on the floor

Set in a galactic centre for delegates of the universe and with Luzikamel a singing, speaking, drinking camel who poos plants and squashes a trombonist. Michaelion and Eve decided that Lucifer can be saved.

😉

Part six- Farewell

The final part of the musical piece number 1 stayed in the room for this I went into the next room to listen to it and watch the projected films, plus I got to stroke Luzikamel.

“I have gained and lost the same ten pounds so many times over and over again my cellulite must have déjà vu.”

– Jane Wagner

Another week nearly over, TUT, where does the time go?

Have you noticed how long it is taking the morning sun to make an appearance as well, its 5.48 and still dark?

I had a whoopee-do moment when I stood on the scales to find I had dropped to under 12 stone, 11 stone 13 I am now. (Oh it is Yoda I am sounding like). Yes I know it’s only a pound under but believe me for me that is a whoopee-do moment.

The builders have been and the house is now re-pointed, they found out why we were having so much trouble with the back window and that has now been fixed. But the mess, the mess, but as they say ‘you can’t make a cake without breaking eggs’

We went out for mom-in-laws birthday last week-end, we went to Flavourz,it’s one of those all you can eat places. I will admit that I used to enjoy these types of places and yes I would start at one end of the counter and work my way along, I suppose because it was a novelty at first. But now when I go out for a meal I like to be served. I sit in these places now and all I can see and think about is all the waste, people piling food onto their plates and pushing half of it away but then going to get another plate full. I know I shouldn’t say what I am about to say but… most of the people piling their plates sky high could do with missing a few meals. Oooh hark at me, yes I know I am over weight but nothing like these people. I also find it rather irritating when I put only what I know I am going to eat on my plate and only have three courses to be told by other people to ‘have some more, you are paying for it, you don’t have to eat it all.’ Just because it’s eat all you want that doesn’t mean make yourself sick! Ok rant over. Heehee.

Here’s a good book Time’s Arrow by Martin Amis. Dr Tod. T. Friendly is a Nazi war criminal who escapes his body just before he dies. Tod then watches his body live its life backwards Tod knows it’s him but can’t understand what is happening and we the reader see how this old scared man became what he was. I found parts of the book set in the death camps quite surreal as people have their teeth put back in and are battered back to life. A good read.

The look on the dogs face says it all

(Just before posting I heard that Tony has died, at last he has peace)
😉

If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered. Edgar Allan Poe

I just have to share this. I found this in my spam folder

When you start feeling better, take it slow and don’t overdo it. Although you can return to school once your fever disappears, you may still feel tired. Your body will tell you when it’s time to rest — listen to it. By taking good care of yourself and resting as much as you need to, you will soon be back to normal, usually within a few weeks.

It had come through to this postand came from a company buying silver. If they are going to send spam they really should read the post first.

I have just finished reading Everything Ravaged Everything Burned by Wells Tower, lot’s of short day to day stories, some with happy endings some not, and so to the weekend, which has flown by.

Saturday was spent just running round doing odds and sods, later in the afternoon we went for a walk along the river in Stourport. Sunday we headed to Cosford to take a look at the air force museum, if you have a few hours spare I would recommend it, (we were there 5 hours). Set in four hangers you start off with the History of the RAF, a lot of people just walked through here but we stood and read all the boards and watched the film. The next hanger is test flight, which has planes and things to play with, and yes we did have a little play but the kids kept getting in the way (! Tut, kids). From there you move into the Warplanes, some of them are huge, then onto the national cold war exhibition with its planes, tanks and nuclear bombs and bombers. Here there is also a small room with a short film about the nuclear threat, once through this part you have the choice to go down or take the lift to the viewing gallery, we headed there to get a good over all view, well worth it. Then down to the bottom floor to take a look at the Thor, the Polaris and the Canberra PR9 amongst other things, there is also a couple of small information rooms here, one where you sit around a round table with maps projected on to the table and listen to The Cuban Missile Crisis. One of the other rooms is about the Vietnam War with very harrowing photos I could feel myself filling up as I read and looked. The last little room is about the Space Race, (that’s three rooms not two isn’t, it’s my age you know). Then onto Hanger 1 which is all about training and transport, with a collection of missiles and art gallery and James May’s life size airfix plane. All in all a good day out and it’s free. (Photos of some of the planes, we took loads).

From there we took a ride to the top of Titterstone Cleeand watched the rain moving towards us photo here

We had both had it so we stopped of at The Lock for tea because I really didn’t fancy cooking. Then the weekend was over, weekend should last at least 4 days!

Saturday we spent the time, looking for and buying carpet which we then laid, putting up curtains, well just finishing the bedroom really. Saturday evening we went to Harry’s, for a meal (Bangladeshi) Which was very nice and the service spot-on.

Sunday we decided to take a look at Edgbaston Reservoir to see if the rain had made any difference to last time we went, just take a look at the photos.

There is only one success-to be able to spend your life in your own way.

Well that was fun, Saturday (7th) it was off to theMACto see The Destroyersin the open air, (and no it didn’t rain on us). The Destroyers are a group I have wanted to see for sometime and I wasn’t disappointed (even the evacuation after a fire alarm was set off didn’t spoil it). I really don’t know where these people get all their energy from, (whatever it is I would like some please). They play, sing and jump around and can get an audience going a treat. At one point two of them blew into their own trumpets but did the finger work on each others, now that takes some doing. True showman, look out for them and get a ticket, it’s a night you won’t forget in a long time.

They are at

Summer breeze festival

Tramlines festival

Edmonton festival and Ealing global festival

Cambridge festival

Brighton

Bern Switzerland

Purbeck festival

Moseley Folk festival.

But if you can’t make it there’s a lot of their stuff on youtube, slap it on and have a dance around the kitchen, you will feel ‘ALIVE’

Well what a few days that has been. Last week we had a thunder storm that lasted around ½ an hour the sky went as dark as night and the rain came hard. I have lived here for 28 years and never have I seen the bottom of the garden flood, but on this day it did. That’s not the only flood we have had either, the washer flooded the kitchen, but on the upside we have been out for a very nice meal at The Crown (review here) and it is every bit as good as this review says. If you look at the photo we sat at the bottom to the right, it is a place I shall happily go back too.

We spent a day in Coventry looking around the bombed out cathedral and in the transport museum, which is well worth a visit but do give yourself plenty of time, we were in there 3 ½ hours.

I haven’t been able to do a lot what with this weather so I have spent most of my time over the past few weeks doing odd jobs and watching the full series of Roseanne I loved it when it was on TV in the 80’s and it’s still has good now. I have now started to watch all my Dr. Who DVD’s (as I am having withdrawal, it’s not been on TV this year yet).

But it’s not all been TV I have read ‘Girl meets boy’ by Ali Smith. A nice read.

Are we getting a summer this year? I only ask out of curiosity, you know what with everywhere being so wet and well rotting.

Anyway onto The Voyage, (which was rained off on Thursday), we headed off to see it on Saturday (23rd), well two of us did, hubby wasn’t feeling too well so he stayed home. Imagine a 50 foot ship built standing against a town hall, imagine the most haunting music and singing voices, imagine acrobats, high wire walkers, dancers, imagine a light show that transforms all this is into a moving ship that goes down in a storm, imagine girls in large bubbles floating through the crowd, imagine a life raft and when you have find out if the show is coming near you and go see it)I think it’s touring but I could be wrong, which would be a shame). It was/is truly a wonderful hour of perfectly timed entertainment. Here (because I like to be helpful) are a few links to help you on your way.